Rider
Riders (死騎手 (ライダー), Raidā; ''Japanese for “''Death Horseman”) are guardians of the souls who are going through the circle of transmigration. They purify Monsters who do evil in the World of the Living and ensure the safe crossing of souls - the Spirits who have lost their way after death - by giving them a soul burial. Overview Like Shinigami, Riders are unearthly beings living in a world ruled by a different logic than the World of the Living. They possess powerful Centers and a body of etherions. They are invisible to those without spiritual powers. When Souls with exceptional spiritual powers train their bodies, they reach the level of a Rider. The most talented of them become affiliated with various organizations like the Peacekeepers and Secret Service. The majority of potential Riders are born among the residents of the Empyrean, but in some rare cases are born in the Gardens. Riders receive salaries, like workers in the Human World and also earn bounties for defeating Monster and spiritual-class criminals. All Riders have vents at their wrists which release their Grit. If they are blocked off, the Rider in question would be incinerated by their own Grit from the inside out. If a Rider’s Heart and Soul are pierced, their spiritual powers are sealed up and they most likely can never regain their lost powers again. Riders have a number of supernatural abilities: *''Longevity'': Riders do not visibly age at the same rate as Humans and tend to maintain a youthful appearance for centuries. *''Enhanced Durability'': While Riders can be injured and killed like regular Humans, it takes considerably greater injuries to kill a Rider than it would to kill Humans. Decapitation seems to be the only guaranteed method of killing a Rider. *''Center'': Riders naturally possess a naturally higher Center which varies greatly in magnitude with the strength of a Rider. The more power a Rider has, the sharper their movements will be. A consequence of having a Center is that, unlike powerless spirits, Riders need to eat. *''Grit'': The Grit of a Rider will continue to flow for as long as the heart is still beating; if the heart beats, it is impossible for the Grit to cease. *''Revolver'': A Rider weapon, its shape is typically similar to an American revolver. Low ranking agents and officers are issued a standard Revolver, but high-ranking officers and generals arm themselves with unique weapons generated from their own souls and Nightmares. These unique Revolvers forged through mastery of one’s Nightmare are referred to as Dragoons. *''Nightmare'': A Rider vehicle, it resembles a typical beige horse. Low ranking agents and officers are issued a standard Nightmare horse, but high-ranking officers and generals have conquered theirs, turning them into unique forms with unique powers. Nightmares are spiritual beings that take the form of tame beige horses. They are a unique facet of New World Soul Society that has parallels in Western Scepters and Eastern Zanapkuto. Every Rider is given a nightmare that is controlled with their Reins. At their most basic, they are powerful vehicles fueled by grit that allow the Riders to patrol of expansive Soul Society and living world. As the nightmare and Rider grow together, the nightmare grows in strength, feeding off the Rider’s grit. While mounted, Riders have enhances aim, sensory awareness, and firepower. The nightmare will usually gain specific unique powers as it feeds off its Rider’s grit, and will slowly become more wild. Taming a wild nightmare is the act of united the power of beast and man in a single body, allowing the Rider to use all the benefits and enhancements of their nightmare by manifesting a spiritual aura or transformation rather than completely manifesting the horse. In this form they can feed their nightmare directly into their Revolver, creating enhanced abilities as well as a similar transformation for the Revolver, called a Dragoon. Duties *''Burial'' (魂葬, Soul Burial) is the process by which a Rider sends wandering Spirits in the Human World to Soul Society if they are good in life or Hell if their life was full of evil acts (such as murders, theft, etc.). Burials are performed by using the hilt of the Rider’s gloves. *''Monster Cleansing'': When a Rider slays a Monster with their Revolver or Nightmare, they cleanse their sins. Once this takes place, a Monster will return to its former state as a Spirit and is led into Soul Society. This is called sublimation. Souls that live in Soul Society are reborn again into the Human World. Not all Monsters are sent to the Soul Society. Since Revolvers are only capable of cleansing sins committed after becoming a Monster, Monsters that committed serious crimes when they were still Human are sent to Hell when they are slain. Training Heartford Academy (ハートフォード霊術院, Hātofōdo Spiritual Arts Academy): ''An educational institute for the next generation of the Peacekeepers. It is in the Gardens, and is one of two groups that is not under the jurisdiction of the Senate. Combat The '''Rider Arsenal '(騎手の戦闘術 (ライダー・アーセナル), Raidā Āsenaru; Japanse for “''Rider’s Combat Tactics''”) are basic Rider combat techinques. *Gunslinging (回術 (ガンスリンギング), Gansuringingu; Japanese for “Revolving Technique”) *Bones (丸腰術 (ボーンズ), Bōnzu; Japanese for “''Bare-handed Techniques”) '' *Spurring (風走 (スプーリング), Supūringu; Japanese for “''wind-running”)'' *Magic (魔法 (マジック), Majikku; Japanese for “''magic; sorcery”)'' 'Accouterment' Man-of-Many Hat (千顔帽 (マン・オブ・メニ・ハット), Man Obu Meni Hatto; Japanese for “''Thousand Face Hat”)': ''The Man-of-Many Hat is a magical hat that allows a Rider to appear to the Living with any face they have seen. ''Gloves: ''A Rider's gloves are enchanted, and are the primary means through which they perform Burials. '' '' ''Buckle'' '''